Local AI cleanup with Ollama or LM Studio
wispa's AI cleanup does not have to use the cloud. Run it through Ollama or LM Studio and the whole step stays on your device, with no key and no internet.
3 min read
wispa's AI cleanup usually runs on a cloud model with your key, but it does not have to. Point it at Ollama or LM Studio and the cleanup runs on your own machine, with no key and nothing sent to the internet.
Why run cleanup locally
The default cleanup uses a cloud provider, so it needs a key and a connection. A local model keeps everything on your device: your transcript is never uploaded, there is no per-use cost, and it works offline. The tradeoff is that quality and speed depend on your own hardware and the model you run.
Set it up
- Install Ollama or LM Studio and download a model inside it.
- Start its local server. Ollama listens on
127.0.0.1:11434, LM Studio on127.0.0.1:1234. - In a mode's AI cleanup, pick the local provider and the model, which wispa lists automatically.
- Dictate as usual. The cleanup step now runs on your computer.
What it can power
A local model can drive the same jobs as a cloud one: AI cleanup in a mode, voice command interpretation, and Super mode. The same guardrail applies, so the model formats your transcript and never treats it as an instruction.
Local or cloud
Local models are private, offline and free to run, but they lean on your own CPU or GPU and memory. Cloud models need a key and a connection but use no local compute and can be higher quality. You choose per mode, so you can keep sensitive writing local and use the cloud elsewhere.
FAQ
Questions and answers
Do I need an API key for local cleanup?
No. Ollama and LM Studio run on your machine with no key. wispa detects their local server and lists the models, and nothing is sent to the internet.
Does local cleanup work offline?
Yes. Once the model is downloaded and the local server is running, cleanup works with no connection, so your transcript stays on your device from start to finish.
Which local model should I use?
Any chat model your machine can run in Ollama or LM Studio works. A small, fast instruct model is plenty for tidying dictation; larger models improve quality if your hardware can handle them.